Saturday, January 29, 2011

Thursday, January 27, 2011

I continue to grow and change rapidly, in fits and starts, overnight...too fast for my mama's tendency towards nostalgia.
1. I am learning to talk by saying words I want to say or by mimicking the words, cadence and/or tone of what was said to me.
2. I learned the word and sign for snow in a few hours. I learned from the falling flakes in the morning that coated things in a few inches, but I think today' 15 inches outside will seal the deal!
3. Yes, I am learning a fourth language. I said my first tabla bol/rhythm day before yesterday -- ta-ki ta-ki-ta! I woke up drumming the rhythm on my chest while giving my mama the biggest smile.
4. I added a new eating skill. I can now dip into sauces and use homemade scoopers!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

I have had an explosion of language lately. I say some things in English, some in Spanish and some in American Sign Language. I need to find some words in Konkani, but here are some things I am have said in each:

There is much language that I recognize and much that I am learning now. My mama's favorite is "I Love You." I pay close attention to that one. It's a hard one to pin down, but think I know what it means when my mama looks in my eyes, tells me "I love you" and gives me kisses and squishy hugs.

Well, my mama isn't as insane as she might appear. It was true that more than one tooth was coming out at the same time. I have the typical bottom tooth poking out. That was causing all the havoc earlier. Turns out, though, that my lateral incisor is coming out, too! (These incisors are the little cutting teeth next to the big front teeth). I have been disturbed by this teething. It is so uncomfortable! I am feeling a bit better now, though, perhaps because they are actually out. This is going to be a long process, but my straining gums are letting my mama know that there is not much rest to be expected.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

I have grown so much over the last few weeks. My mama can hardly keep up!

1. I have one tooth peeking out on the bottom with its adjacent companion just under the surface along with the top teeth straining painfully.
2. I understand a whole lot of language and mimic much more than ever. I like to use the new words I know as often as I can -- baby, hot. I try to say whole sentence things like "Mama, read me a book."
3. Clothing is becoming more clear to me. My mama is trying out a clothing station. So far, I like to dump things out, but I have chosen some socks to wear.
4. I am gaining sleep independence. I am starting to wean myself off the swaddle. I get my arms out most of the time, unless I am feeling like some comfort and closeness. Today my mama had a snow day and has been putting me down without swaddling me. She leaves the door ajar so I can get off the bed and come out when I am ready. I took my time walking down the hall to my mama's arms, but she was happy to see that I was confident enough to get out of bed and out of the rooms on my own. These are major steps towards the independence she wants for me to feel when I am ready....and apparently, I am!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

1. I have been saying, not signing, "hot" today. I said it when my daddy pointed to the heater, and I said it when my mama told me the water coming out of the tap into the bath was hot. (Later when the water wasn't so hot I tested it! It wasn't so hot.)
2. My mama was able to ask me if I wanted to "sleep" or "eat" (amam!), and I said "eat!" And I ate a ton of oatmeal!
3. I AM ACTUALLY GETTING MY FIRST TOOTH! (bottom, middle/right...although my top right tooth is on the verge of pushing through as well)

Saturday, January 8, 2011

I am such a big girl! In addition to having longer toes and legs, the following are going on:

1. The other day, my mama's hair was down. I played gently with the locks of hair instead of pulling like I used to. She saw me looking intently at her hair and signed "hair" to me. I signed "hair" back!

2. I like to brush my hair and my teeth when someone mentions them, especially my hair, which i have more of now.

3. I have been signing and saying baby for days all day long. "Baby, baby, baby, baby...." Rocking my arms happily....I'm the baby!

4. I signed "bath" for the first time yesterday, sometime mimicking my mama and other times just because I heard the word. I was in the bath longer than usual yesterday, too. I had a good time scrubbing myself with the washcloth like my mama does for me. I also figured out that I could hold the ends and clap them together to get a cool sound. I am always trying to see what sounds things make!

5. Speaking of making sounds, my drumming has taken another step. Yesterday while we were waiting to Skype my daddy played the song "Mangalam" off the Chants of India album from Ravi Shankar (produced by George Harrison). My mama loves that track. I was captivated, she thought, because of the rhythms and drumming. Then I started moving my hand. She thought I was tapping to try to find the rhythm. I looked at my hand and what it was doing. Then I looked at my daddy. His hands started doing the same thing. I looked at the music, my hand and my daddy. Then I looked back and forth from my daddy's hands to my hands. We were drumming! My mama realized that I was working to holding my hands and fingers like my daddy's while I drummed out the music. A memorable family moment round the dinner table.

My mama found this video of me from a long time ago. She watched it to see my sleepy dumpling face, but in fact that was during that time around 3 months old when I went 3 days of peeing in the potty without peeing or pooping in my diaper. I was even starting to intently study signs at this time. Seeing this video really got her feeling nostalgic....